Attempts have been made in the past to provide devices that can handle large, round hay bales. Included in these are devices such as those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4084707 and 4573846 in which the bale is impaled on a series of spikes which are then rotated to unroll the bale. In the device described in Canadian Pat. No. 1,039,222, the bale is rotated and a cutter bar is advanced into the bale to chop the outer layer of hay. It is preferred, however, to unroll the hay rather than to cut it. Also known is the apparatus of U.S. Pat. No. 3968940, where the bale is supported on two hubs, one at each end, and a friction roller supports and rotates the bale from the side to cause its unrolling. Such devices rely on friction or gravity for the unrolling action and are in consequence lacking in speed and reliability.
The objective of the present invention is to provide an improved bale handling and unrolling device that is susceptible to greater control of the unrolling process.